As mobile devices have been increasingly developed, and the demand for such mobile devices has increased, the demand for secondary batteries has also sharply increased. Among such secondary batteries is a lithium secondary battery exhibiting high energy density and operating voltage and excellent charge retention and service-life characteristics, which has been widely used as an energy source for various electronic products as well as mobile devices.
Based on the appearance thereof, a lithium secondary battery may be generally classified as a cylindrical battery, a prismatic battery, or a pouch-shaped battery. Based on the type of an electrolyte, a lithium secondary battery may be also classified as a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, or a lithium polymer battery.
A recent trend in the miniaturization of mobile devices has increased the demand for a prismatic battery or a pouch-shaped battery, which has a small thickness. In particular, much interest is currently focused on such a pouch-shaped battery because it is easy to modify the shape of the pouch-shaped battery, the manufacturing cost of the pouch-shaped battery is low, and the pouch-shaped battery is lightweight.
In general, a pouch-shaped battery is a battery having an electrode assembly and an electrolyte in a pouch-shaped battery case, made of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer, in a sealed state. The electrode assembly mounted in the battery case may be configured to have a jelly-roll (wound) type structure, a stacked type structure, or a combination (stacked/folded) type structure.
FIG. 1 is a view typically showing the structure of a pouch-shaped secondary battery including a stacked type electrode assembly.
Referring to FIG. 1, a pouch-shaped secondary battery 10 may be configured to have a structure in which an electrode assembly 30, including positive electrodes, negative electrodes, and separators disposed respectively between the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes, is mounted in a pouch-shaped battery case 20 in a sealed state such that two electrode leads 40 and 41 electrically connected to positive electrode and negative electrode tabs 31 and 32 of the electrode assembly 30 are exposed to the outside.
The battery case 20 may include a case body 21 having a depressed receiving part 23, in which the electrode assembly 30 is located, and a cover 22 integrally connected to the case body 21.
Although not shown, the battery case may include a lower case having a depressed receiving part, in which the electrode assembly is located, and an upper case for sealing the electrode assembly as a cover of the lower case.
The battery case 20 may be made of a laminate sheet including an outer resin layer 20A constituting the outermost layer of the laminate sheet, an isolation metal layer 20B for preventing penetration of materials, and an inner resin layer 20C for sealing.
The positive electrode tabs 31 and the negative electrode tabs 32 of the stacked type electrode assembly 30 may be respectively coupled to the electrode leads 40 and 41 by welding. In addition, insulative films 50 may be attached to the top and bottom of each of the electrode leads 40 and 41 to prevent the occurrence of a short circuit between a thermal welding device (not shown) and the electrode leads 40 and 41 and to secure sealing between the electrode leads 40 and 41 and the battery case 20 when the upper end 24 of the case body 21 and the upper end of the cover 22 are thermally welded to each other using the thermal welding device.
In recent years, however, a new type of battery cell has been required in accordance with a trend change for a slim type design or various other designs.
In addition, the above-mentioned battery cells may be configured to include electrode assemblies having the same size or the same capacity. For this reason, in order to manufacture a battery cell having a new structure in consideration of the design of a device, to which the battery cell is applied, it may be necessary to reduce the capacity of the battery cell or modify the design of the device such that the size of the device is increased.
Furthermore, electrical connection may be complicated during modification of the design of the device with the result that it may be difficult to manufacture a battery cell satisfying desired conditions.
Therefore, there is a high necessity for an electrode assembly and a battery case applicable depending upon the shape of a device, to which a battery cell is applied, and a battery cell including the same.